Maren Morris Talks New Year’s in NOLA

Is this going to be Maren Morris’ last show of 2018? Or her first show of 2019?

In a phone call from Nashville, Morris told me she thinks of her Dec. 31 show at the upcoming Allstate Fan Fest in New Orleans as a little bit of both.

“When Allstate asked me to be part of ringing in the New Year, I’d always wanted to do the Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, so this was just a bucket list thing for me,” Morris said. “And I get to bring my band and my husband. Plus Florida Georgia Line will be there. And I’ve never celebrated New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, so it will be a really fun time in the French Quarter.”

Last year at this time, Morris was playing another New Year’s Eve show, so she said it could be quickly become her new tradition. “It’s fun to play a show on New Year’s Eve because the energy is so large,” she said, “and everyone is in a good mood.” Even if you’re not in New Orleans, you can watch Morris’ performance when it broadcasts live from the French Quarter during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

As for the next day, on Jan. 1, she has a few resolutions on her mind (“I want to continue to stay in shape, be a good wife, be a good mom to our puppies, and be a great artist for my fans”) but nothing quite as specific as her resolution 12 months ago.

“I remember that this year’s resolution was to be better at making cocktails,” she said. “My husband is such a great cook, and I felt like I didn’t contribute anything in that arena. So I was like, ‘I’ll handle the cocktails.’ And I’ve gotten a little bit better at making them this year. I can make them at the house, on the road, and on the bus. I got really good at making margaritas, I think.”

After the first day of the New Year, Morris will be busy with her new single (she’s waiting to reveal it in ’19), her new album (her proudest work to date, she told me), and her inevitable Grammy celebration.

“I haven’t put an album out in two and a half years, so to have five Grammy nominations on an off-cycle year is such an honor. I am definitely taken aback.

“It just makes me feel like all the work that I’ve done has been really versatile and validated by my peers at the Grammys,” she said. “That never gets old.”